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Wrestling With Angels: What Genesis Teaches Us About Our Spiritual Identity, Sexuality and Personal Relationships

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Wrestling With Angels: What the First Family of Genesis Teaches Us About Our Spiritual Identity, Sexuality, and Personal Relationships (Naomi Rosenblatt and Joshua Horwitz, Delacorte, 1995) is a book with a specific agenda: understanding Genesis as a series of lessons about the nature of human character. Her voice (it's largely hers; Horwitz is not much in direct evidence) is that of the therapist. The themes are as old as guilt and sibling rivalry and sexual temptation, and as "modern" as midlife crisis, blended families and surrogate parentage. We are comfortable with these psychological concepts, and Rosenblatt is generally successful at using these as tools to understand these stories --- and ourselves.
The subtitle's "Family" is a misnomer; it should be "Families". It covers people from Adam to Noah to Joseph, and they aren't considered one family in the normal sense. The chapter on the Tower of Babel doesn't involve any particular people.
There are 35 self-contained chapters. The titles set the theme: "Rachel and Leah: Competing for Love, Passion and Status", "The Brothers Reappear: Wrestling with Unresolved pain", "Abraham goes forth: Following a Personal Vision". She starts with a broad introduction to the theme, then sets the stage for the particular story. The story is presented via selected excerpts from Genesis. Interspersed are her comments and "imagined narrative details". Of these she says, "Our Embellishments to the original text of these stories are historically correct" whatever that means. It's unclear whether she's relying on traditional midrash or her own. Then she provides her summary, analysis and conclusions, sometimes including anecdotes from her own life.
The book displays both substantial weaknesses and strengths. On the minus side, the allegories and symbols are laid on rather thickly. For example, on page 267, there is entitled "The Well as the Portal of the Soul." But on 268, we are instead told that it is the stone (which covered the well) that is "the portal of her [Rachel's] ... soul." Further, we are told that "The well represents Rachel's virgin sexuality" and in the next sentence "the well is symbolic of Jacob's unconscious". In her discussion of the Covenant Between the Pieces, admittedly a very murky event, I found her symbolic explanation of the items unconvincing, and note that she omits any explanation of the smoking oven. Some things really are a stretch. One chapter is "Lot Departs the Clan: Letting Go of Children", but she presents no reasoning that Abram ever considered his nephew as a son. Putting the modern motherhood/career dilemma into Rachel/Leah story was unconvincing. None of the treatments are in any great depth, and the nuances of the Bible's language in telling these stories is entirely lost.
On the other hand, her handling of conflicts within the (extended) family is especially deft, and she turns to this, effectively, again and again. She had a particularly good feel for the character of Jacob, and her chapter on his wrestling with the "Personal Angels and Demons" was especially well done. She has an intriguing comparison between Noah and Oscar Schindler; I wish it had been more developed.
Her writing is clear and the almost conversational style easily draws the reader in, without wasting words. While many can learn from this, the book is especially good for beginners. It does not presuppose any knowledge of either the Bible or how it is approached, and makes no demands of a particular kind of faith. And it provides fresh evidence of why these stories are so enduring.

this is my second reading of wresting w/angels. i recommend it to those people who are curious about the biblical text and have never actually read it themselves. or to those who are familiar and well-versed w/the biblical text but are searching for new and fresh insights to be learned and discovered.

I was brought up as a Roman Catholic with biblical teachings emphasizing the New Testament and very little of the Old Testament. Wrestling w/Angels re-introduced me to the wise ancient stories of Genesis, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Not only is this book a great read, it is full of insights illuminating conflicts and challenges we continue to face in contemporary life. Whether or not you believe in the historical accuracy of the Bible, the people who are chronicled in its stories are important archetypes whose influence on our collective thought patterns is vast. Wrestling w/Angels is a key guide to understanding the meaning of those archetypes because they show us how we, as individuals and as a world, have developed our "identity, sexuality and personal relationships."

Naomi Rosenblatt leads us on an in-depth and eye opening journey through the Book of Genesis. I found her easy to read style similar to M. Scott Peck, in that she provides concrete examples of how the Book of Genesis relates to modern day life. This should be mandatory reading for all those contemplating a career in the helping professions - including law enforcement recruits. Her coverage of the concept of Hineni, Here am I, is especially poignant for parents and teachers. Regardless of our particular faiths this book can help us all understand the triumph of the human spirit. Ms. Rosenblatt's book is truly a work of art.

Naomi is a psychotherapist, lecturer, and adult bible class teacher.

A unique study of the old testament teachings to help with our personal spiritual journey. How we should live our lives according to God. How we can shape the way we live and teach or children through the Patriarchs. The book starts with the creation; the order. Then moves to the flood and the descendants; from Abraham to Joseph. Beautifully written. Will never be dated.

Wish you well
Scott

Puts everything into prespsective. Shows how the Bible fits into todays contemporary lives. And how everything was thought of and and actually transpired thousands of years ago.

This was my first purchase for only one cent, and I was pleasantly surprised at the condition of the book. Apparently it had sat on a library shelf without ever having been checked out,and it's great for use in my Sunday school class. The order and shipping process was also excellent.

This book is an extremely informative analysis of genesis, and its role in our current culture on many levels. I enjoy and appreciate this authors educational experience and cultural veiws. Anyone who has read this authors analysis may also enjoy "After the Apple", which is another one of Rosenblatt's writings.

This is a wonderful book. Rosenblatt connects familiar Bible stories to contemporary life with fresh insight. You can start reading on any page and receive "new" information as well as a spiritual blessing.

Naomi Rosenblatt writes in clear, easy to understand language that flows with the ease of a novelette, but with the content of an epic. She brings into the reader's focus the very human side of characters, events and circumstances that are all too often put on pedestals and hidden in "glass cages" as icons and statuary. Three cheers and a "thanks" to Mrs. Rosenblatt for helping to make these wonderful Old Testament characters identifiable in terms and means we can all understand.